How long will we wander, before returning to Him?

Posts tagged ‘blessing’

122) Let Us Dwell Together In Unity!

UNITY!

Isn't this UNITY angel just amazing?! I found it online years ago and have carried it with me from computer to computer every since!

Isn’t this UNITY angel just amazing?! I found it online years ago and have carried it with me from computer to computer every since!

I kept thinking this one chapter of Psalms must be incorrect. There was a typo, somewhere I had left a book or two out, but no. Day 122 reading: Psalms 133

King James Version:

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

New American Standard Bible:

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Coming down upon the beard,
Even Aaron’s beard,
Coming down upon the edge of his robes,
It is like the dew of Hermon
Coming down upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord commanded the blessing–life forever.

Friends, we are granted eternal life, and truly He asks so little of us in return for this incredible gift.

Make it a great day,

Marilyn

Day 123 reading: Psalms 106-107

Category:

Bible in a Year-Chronological Study, Psalms, Rules worth LIVING by

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119) Saul and Our own Egos

Day 119 reading: 1 Chronicles, chapters 7-10sword

When I have studied this series of chapters before, my eyes have glazed over and not quite come out of their fog enough to recognize the critical importance of this final chapter of today’s reading. Chapters 7-9 are more of the all-important, but still no more interesting to read, genealogy. But chapter 10! Chapter 10, with headings in my Bible like: “Saul killed on mount Gilboa,” “Defeat and Death of Saul and His Sons,” or the most poignant, “Saul Takes His Own Life.” It’s very easy to not quite wake up from the genealogy fog to recognize the significance of such a short chapter, but it meant a TON to the people of Israel.

I feel quite sure–even without double-checking this statement–that biblical theologians have been able to pick this small chapter apart and unveil every aspect of what Saul’s death meant to the Israelites. However, me being a simple Bible reader and student, I know that I can’t grasp all that it really meant to the people then or for the futures of these people, but I can look at Saul in his humanness and grab hold of some critical pieces of the story and how those pieces relate to each of us today.

After all of the battles, the Lord’s anointed King Saul is being overtaken. In his admittance of defeat, he takes his own life. I can only imagine the despair that overtook him in those moments of clarity, when he realized how grave his sins had been and how he had misused his God-breathed power.

“Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.” (10:13-14, NIV)

Saul died because of his pride, because he never died to his pride when he was anointed by God to lead the Israelites.

Saul died because he did not follow the word of God.

Saul died because he not only did not consult God, but he did consult those against or in opposition to God.

Saul died because he was unfaithful.

Life is such a struggle. It doesn’t have to be, but we make it one. In all of our humanness, we allow our own pride and ego to get in the way of consulting God. I believe I have shared before my favorite way to remember just how deep ego drives us when I remember that EGO stands for: Edging God Out. This is the simplest way to describe Saul’s life as anointed king, for he truly edged God out of his life and forgot that he was a masterpiece of God.

Let’s you and I not forget that we are also blessed by God to do great things. We are built to serve Him and serve others. Let’s not forget to consult Him daily, hourly even, as we go along this journey. On your way to work, praying for protection and guidance for yourself and the other commuters on the road. As you sit at your desk or perform your job, praying for careful attention to detail so each job and each work of your hands is blessed. Eating our meals and snacks throughout the day, praying that the foods we choose bring nourishment to our bodies so we are better able to go and do and be all He wants us to be. Prayers as we fall asleep at night, praying that our thoughts and dreams are peaceful and of Him, that our sleep in restful and full, so that we may wake refreshed, again, tomorrow to face whatever we see with love.

God loves you, now go act like you know it!

Make it a great day,

Marilyn

Day 120 reading: Psalms, chapters 102-104

Category:

1 Chronicles, Bible in a Year-Chronological Study, Faith, Perseverance, Prayer, Quiet time, Rules worth LIVING by, Seeing God, Service

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59) Ever Thankful = Ever Humble

Tulsa OK sunriseDo you ever find yourself just plain ungrateful for what you have?

Grousing about what you don’t have or what you wish you had?

Not seeing all that you do have in your life?

You’re not the only one!

Day 59 reading: Numbers, chapters 11-13

Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. (11:1, NIV)

How can we complain about all that we lack when all that we already have comes from Him?

The rabble who were among them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost–also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” (11:4-6, NIV)

Now, granted, 40 years of manna would get old. But the Israelites had selective memory. They forgot that they were slaves to the Egyptians who fed them. At no cost? At the price of their dignity!

I have a note in my bible next to this passage that reads: Selective memory kills current successes and action.

When I look back on my memories, I don’t want to only remember the good, but I want to remember the real, the struggles, the hardships, the lessons learned. This is why I keep coming back to the Word, every day, to remind myself what my life was like before I truly dedicated my life to Him, and remember that I don’t want to turn back to my old ways. I will not allow myself to have selective memory.

“Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will eat it. You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, but for a whole month–until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it–because you have rejected the Lord, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’” (11:18-20, NIV)

When we are ungrateful to Him, it tends to turn around and bite us, doesn’t it? I can think of too many instances when I thought I really wanted something or someone and I begged and pleaded, and eventually got exactly what I asked for and realized why it wasn’t mine to begin with.

Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth. (12:3, NIV)

I believe humility is among the first steps we must take in our walk with our Lord. When we humble ourselves before Him and before others in His name, we show our thankfulness for all that we have been given.

When we are doubtful of our calling to walk with God, or when we are challenged and scared, remember the words of Caleb: “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” (13:30, NIV)

He knew as we should know that God is able! When He sends us to do something, to act, to move, He will not let us fall unless that is all part of the greater plan He has in store for us. When we humble ourselves to follow His path for our lives, He will show us the way, give us a road map, and we will know with all certainty that we cannot fail.

Make it a great day,

Marilyn

Day 60 reading: Numbers, chapters 14-15 and Psalms 90

Category:

Bible in a Year-Chronological Study, Blessings, Gifts & Talents, Numbers, Perseverance, Service, Trust

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23) Still Struggling to do His Will

Day 23 reading: Genesis, chapters 32-34

We have two important stories in today’s reading. First, Jacob seemingly making amends with his brother, Esau, whom he once tricked out of his birthright then out of his blessing.  The passage begins with mention of Jacob being met by an unknown number of angels of God; we don’t know what the circumstances were or what was told to Jacob in that meeting, but we know that next Jacob begins to pursue a renewed relationship with his brother, so I am of a mind to think that Jacob was instructed in that meeting to make amends with Esau.

Jacob went above and beyond in this pursuing of Esau; taking part defensive and protective measures (by breaking up his flock of livestock as well as people) and proactive (by sending gifts ahead for Esau). All of these measures either worked beautifully or they weren’t necessary in the first place, as when Jacob met up with Esau, he asked,

“What do you mean by all these droves I met?”

“To find favor in your eyes, my lord,” Jacob said.

But Esau said, “I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.” (33:8-9, NIV)

Esau met Jacob with love and welcomed him with open arms. Yet, at the first opportunity, Jacob took his clan away, again, from Esau.

So that day Esau started on his wy back to Seir. Jacob, however, went to Succoth, where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock. (33:16, NIV).

The second well-known story from today’s reading is the story of Dinah, Jacob’s daughter by Leah, and her defilement by Shechem.

I begin to question Jacob’s thought processes here. He has wrestled with God. He has prayed. And, yet, he seems to be doing something that was not in God’s plan for his human life. Instead of reuniting with his twin brother, Esau, Jacob went elsewhere and, there, his family was discraced by sexual impurity, and the reaction of his sons against that impurity. They departed from God, tricking the people of Hamor and Shechem.

earth_1_apollo17Is it just me or does Jacob’s human sin nature make you feel a little bit better about our own faults? Jacob “saw God face to face, and yet [his] life was spared” (32:30, NIV). Jacob, grandson of Abraham, who walked with God, received direct instruction from God and was often in direct contact with God and His angels, and yet he still goes his own way so often. This is half relief and half additional stressor. Jacob saw God and still disobeys. This makes me in all of my humanness feel a little better about the constant battles I have between what is right by God and that I know will not bring Him favor. It makes me a little stressed, because I figure if even someone who hears directly from God can do wrong…what about me?

Obviously, this is one of those days when this awesome trip through the Bible is doing more tripping me up than making my path clearer.

Make it a great day,

Marilyn

Day 24′s reading: Genesis, chapters 35-37

Category:

Bible in a Year-Chronological Study, Blessings, Genesis, Seeing God

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19) The Lord our Provider

Today’s theme (rather, the theme of our life): The Lord Will Provide.

Today’s reading: Genesis, chapters 22-24

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
(22:1-8, NIV)

LIFE IS GOODThe Lord DID provide for that burnt offering. The Lord DOES provide all we truly need now. And, the Lord will CONTINUE to provide for us in the future. By testing us, God is able to prove again and again that He will forever provide for our needs. After we pass these tests, large and small, God blesses us with greater responsibility.

I love the quote from Mother Teresa, “I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish He didn’t trust me so much.”

God blessed Abraham for his faith, and He blesses you and I, as well.

The Lord rewarded Abraham for passing the ultimate test:
I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” (22:17-18, NIV)

God blesses us all the more because you have obeyed me.

I want to pose an open-ended question. Don’t panic, it won’t be too deep…it’s more a Sunday school question, but hopefully over time we can add some depth to our answers.

The question is two-fold:

1) How do we, in our daily lives, obey God? How do we, REALLY, obey Him daily? Not, what should we doing, but what do we do?

2) What proof have we experienced in the past that when we obey God, we truly are blessed in cause and effect kind of responsiveness?

My answers, #1) In my daily life, I have to have my “God time.” And most of the time that need to have quiet time alone with Him is because I feel so lonely without it. Whether I spend the time on this chronological journey, reading and writing, or it’s time spent in prayer or some other form of time with Him, I know I must have it in order to remain full and focused.

Through this year’s reading journey, I am purposely avoiding commentaries and teachings that pertain to the passages we are reading together. This is not to suggest that I don’t love to hear my pastor preach, or get so deeply involved with my latest ladies Bible study, but I have not gone out of my way to research the daily scripture reading passages more in-depth. If it’s not in the Book, itself, it can wait. This year for me is about knowing what the Bible actually says, without spin or outside interpretation. There are so many great thinkers and students of the Bible that have incredible insight, but I first want to strengthen my own biblical foundation in the Word so that I can make out right from wrong, skewed from biblical, in the teachings and readings I come across in the future. In fact, I am already thinking about next year’s self-assignment (I know, I know…we’re not even out of the teens and I’m already planning for the next 365 day stretch), and I think it will involve commentary. Right now, I am just enjoying the living, breathing, Word of God. Aren’t you?

My answers, #2) Even as I posed the second question my mind went blank. Isn’t it frustrating when you know there’s so much to say, so many exciting stories, and you just lose it? I would say that 90% of my prayers also include pleas to God to make the pathways He wants me to follow as obvious as possible; I’m always afraid I may miss a turn and completely miss the awesome life God has in store for me. That being said, I have had countless wonderful experiences with God, when I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was being greatly blessed because I was faithful and trusting in Him. Cause & effect.

Steve Marilyn Christmas 2011The summer of 2009 was a difficult one in my family. Anyone who is or ever has been married knows there are hills and there are valleys. Let’s just say, the summer of 2009 was a rocky valley; it was a test that my husband and I barely made it through. It was a summer that I knew would make me stronger if I persevered or weaken me to a shell of the person I once was if I didn’t hold strong. I say with unwavering certainty that that rocky valley, that test of strength, was the best thing that could have ever happened in my family.

Sometimes, we have to hit rock bottom, to completely lose sight of the light, so that we can crave it so much that we finally seek after it. And, friends, when we regain our sight, it is a beautiful thing! I don’t ever want to return to that dark hole. I don’t want my feet to ever touch that rocky place again. Steve and I are blessed today because we passed a very difficult test. We are closer to one another; we are happier parents; and, best of all, we are closer to God and feel more secure in our relationship with Him, than we ever were before the rocky valley. Glory to God!

I look forward to hearing each of your insights into the cause and effects of God’s blessings. I want to live out His daily Word through my life in this world. It’s a tricky balancing act, as you all know, but together and with His Word and His Spirit, we will pull through the tests and our foundation of sand will be strengthened into the Rock!

Tomorrow’s reading: Genesis, chapters 25-26

Make it a great day,
Marilyn

Category:

Bible in a Year-Chronological Study, Genesis, Trust

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Women of Vision

Lately, it has seemed my life has been surrounded by storehouses. Saving up for this. Setting aside for that. Making room and cleaning out.

Malachi 3:10 offers these familiar words about the storehouse that wash over me every time I read them: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” (NIV)

Last November, my husband, Steve, and I were sitting in our Sunday morning church service. I don’t remember what the Pastor was speaking about specifically, or even what was going on in my own personal little life at the time, but I distinctly remember being overwhelmed by the Presence of God telling me to begin doubling my tithe check each week. I was obedient to this urging –although, in all honesty, I didn’t tell my husband about it until months later– from that moment on. About six months later, right after Christmas and New Year’s had ticked off the calendar, is when my husband lost his job, and the floodgates of that storehouse did burst open and we were blessed in our faithfulness.

This is just a small sampling of how this scripture from Malachi effects me, but I can assure you that it is these seemingly small testimonies that act as the nudge when I am feeling greedy, or needy, or unappreciative for all He has done and is continually doing in this little life of mine and in all the lives around me. It is each of our jobs to store up for that rainy day when we are in need of a Holy flood!

Book worth sharing: The Storehouse Principle

This little book fits into the “Pay It Forward” category in our family. My father was given it several months ago by a new friend in a new city; then he passed it along to my mother and I, and now I would like to encourage you to pick it up (digitally or in hard copy, new or used, purchased at a real-life bookstore or online) and glean the lessons it has stored inside.

Published in 2004, authors Al Jandl (Pastor of Living Stones Church in Alvin, Texas) and Van Crouch (businessman and Christian motivator) pass on simple treasures of wisdom to help each of us live our lives by the God-given principles of money.

Before you glaze over, know that this isn’t a money-management book, it’s more of a life lessons book in how to live out the biblical principles of Malachi 3:10 (above). Here are some of my favorite points and highlights from the book:

  • By teaching each of us to be more resourceful and responsible with our money is to remember that money is simply a tool.
  • That peace is more important in the grand scheme of things than all the stuff in the world.
  • That keeping up with the Joneses is a dangerous game to play with the talents and treasures God has given each of us.
  • To “work smart instead of hard.”
  • That building up a storehouse for the future of our children, our churches, our favorite charities and non-profit organizations, ensures the money God gives us is blessed to be a blessing for long-term goals.

“If Christians are going to change the world, we need to learn to think about our futures, the futures of our families, and the impact our churches will have in the times to come.” ~Jandl & Crouch

Handy woman DIY project

I have such a love and appreciation for the faith of children, and our youngest three kids really get this storehouse principle in a very cool kind of way.

Over the summer, our family took a trip that, for me, was a huge first: a true family vacation. You see, as I was growing up we had a running joke, “We don’t visit new cities, we move to them!” We traveled quite a bit, but it was usually to visit our extended family or some piggy-back family time alongside a business trip. (Mom & Dad, please forgive me if I am mis-remembering) This summer, however, Steve and I decided we wanted to take a true family vacation–not a trip to visit family and bunk on couches or in guest rooms, but a real family vacation where we pick a destination, travel, hotel, meals, the whole nine yards. I know this sounds so silly to so many of you, but truly to me this was a BIG deal!

There’s nothing sweeter than a home-made coffee can bank!

Our vacation took us to the heart of Missouri and it was amazing! We had all kinds of fun, saw some beautiful country, and mainly enjoyed spending true quality time together. (No, I’m not being facetious when I say “quality time”) We had such an amazing time, in fact, that after our trip the three kids put the storehouse principle to work in planning our second family vacation. They researched destinations, figured up how much money they would need to save for outings and meals, and they designed collection banks –Storehouses– toward our next family vacation. I am proud to say that this was not a passing fancy, either. It has now been four months since they created their storehouses, and even today I saw our oldest daughter put $8 into one of those banks!

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven–A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, NASB)

Every moment of our lives has it’s own time and purpose under heaven!

Like many others, I have become quite obsessed with Pinterest…There I find neat quotes to send my husband like little love notes during the day, I find great holiday gift and decorating ideas, and I find loads of creative inspiration that remind me I am not creatively stagnant just because I’m a wife and a mother and an employee and so many other things to other people. AND, I find storehouses like this shadow box bank that I absolutely fell in love with! Because it’s such a fabulous idea and because it goes along with all we’re discussing today, I wanted to share this little design with you, as well. Now, go and DIY ;-)

Scriptures to bring it all home

Sunday, Faithfulness: 1 Chronicles 22:14, Hebrews 11:6, 2 Corinthians 5:7, James 2:26

Monday, Generosity: Deuteronomy 28:8, Luke 19:24-26, Hebrews 6:11-12

Tuesday, Abundance: Genesis 12:2-3, Luke 16:10-13, Ephesians 3:20, 1 Timothy 6:6-8

Wednesday, Seasons of Life: Genesis 41:33-36, Galatians 6:9-10, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:9

Thursday, Glory: Deuteronomy 8:18, Proverbs 6:6-11

Friday, Sowing & Reaping: Matthew 16:26, Luke 6:38, 1 Corinthians 9:5-8

Saturday, Rewards: Leviticus 26:3-13, Matthew 6:1-4

I’m not going back, I’m moving ahead!

Ahhh, such a relaxing anniversary weekend with my man!

Steve and I celebrated eight years of marriage this week, and even while away for the weekend (which we had to build up our storehouse to do!) I saw the impact of the blessings all around us.

We scored amazing deals on both our motel room and the theater production we saw the first night. Then, through my own form of  passive-aggressive non-haggling, I was given about a 20% discount on a purse I was salivating over in this cute little downtown shop (this became my anniversary “gift” for the year). And, I don’t know about you, but when we go out of town we make sure we have enough money to each have a massage; so while I was on the massage table, I overheard our massage therapists talking about the package deal we had purchased and the extra herbal treatment they were throwing in for us “just because!”

The generosity and evidence of God’s favor in our lives are all around us. Sometimes we just forget to open our eyes and truly see. I want to encourage each of us to be women of vision! Envision how today can effect our tomorrows. Envision how our time and money could be doing more…sometimes by doing absolutely nothing in this moment. Envision the future, moving forward and not looking back at the past mistakes or even successes. Today is a new day, let’s move ahead!

Make it a great day,

Marilyn

Category:

1 Chronicles, 1 Corinthians, 1 Timothy, 2 Corinthians, 2 Peter, 2 Timothy, Blessings, Deuteronomy, Ecclesiastes, Ephesians, Faith, Galatians, Genesis, Hebrews, James, Leviticus, Luke, Malachi, Matthew, Proverbs, Trust

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Breaking the Silence

Hello to you from the quiet pages of RS2H! Oh, how you all have been missed these last several months. Many of you have been so kind to ask where I’ve been on here, and when I am going to post something new. And, although it always made me smile to think that you were missing me, too, the truth was I didn’t have anything I felt worthy to share. Something the past six months has taught me is that silence often serves a much greater purpose than noise, and I truly believe that anything I would have posted during this interim phase would have been just that: noise.

Since the last posting, “Walking in It,” God and I have been doing a little bit of extra hunkering down. So many of you can understand the sudden changes that happen with a job loss, or any similar sort of unexpected change. It effects everything from living arrangements, to budgets, to family scheduling, and on and on. But, as I told you previously, the Lord used that trial to pour such an abundance of blessings over our little lives that we were quite literally overwhelmed, at times, by the reminders that His Love is true and steadfast. Physical, visible, worldly “abundance” is not what I’m talking about here, but let me tell you that the Lord Our Provider has done just that; He has provided! We are not sleeping on a bed of hundred-dollar bills since our New Year’s Jolt (or before then, for that matter ;-) ), in fact we are living more simply than before, but the blessings the world can’t see and judge are so often the most fulfilling to me.

For the first few months of the year, Steve and I were all about walking the path the Lord was setting before us, and living every day on absolute Faith that the bills would get paid, that we would have food and shelter, and that our family would be healthy, happy, and protected. It’s kind of a surreal feeling when you start to walk out of the haze of shock, back into the real world, slowly being more exposed to life as it’s going on around you, as God gently puts you back on your own two feet to show you that you can walk on your own, once again. This reminds me of that wonderful “Footprints” poem that closes with God telling us that when we only see one set of footprints behind us, that’s when He was carrying us. From January 7, until about the middle of April, I can say in all sincerity that God was absolutely carrying this family every step of the journey.

The tricky part of being carried for so long is that as God puts you back on your feet to begin walking again, it becomes very easy to just be lazy in your relationship with Him. Let me rephrase that: The tricky part for me in being carried for so long is that as God put me back on my feet to begin walking again, it was very easy for me to just become lazy in my relationship with Him.  Once I took a few steps in complacency, He started sending me reminders that we need to get back to the business of taking care of business, and this is when I had to, once again, make that choice to serve Him. My faith this year has been stronger than ever, but I can honestly admit that my habits have gotten a bit sloppy since He put me down and I have been walking the road. This is when God reminds us to “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) and He sends us nudges and reminders to spend time with Him.

So, from the phase of Walking in It to Hunkering Down, I can feel Him working on me to get back on here and start writing, again. I can’t tell you how many times He has given me the most profound articles while I am –of all places– in the shower, but the words just disappear as soon as my feet hit the tile floor. Of course, I often find this funny because I figure it must have been something that I needed to hear, and He only got my attention with it by disguising it as a message to share. I do, however, feel that wonderful stir in my heart that a year ago I reveled in, and I am truly looking forward to the new phase that I am now entering into.

Until the time that those words make it from inspiration to print, know how thankful I am to each of you for the prayers. I believe He has used many of you over this year in my own personal healing journey, and I am truly thankful to be so blessed.

Make it a great day,

Marilyn

Category:

Blessings, Faith, Healing, Psalms, Quiet time, Trust

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10% of Me~The Firstfruits

“‘But nothing that a man owns and devoted to the Lord–whether man or animal or family land–may be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted is most holy to the Lord.’” (Leviticus 27:28)

I believe in tithing. I believe that God instructs us to tithe 10% of our earnings and also give offerings of ourselves above and beyond our tithe in accordance with our faith.

Malachi 3:10 tells us that God will “throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

That sounds pretty awesome to me! I think the rub happens in the questions: Really??? Do I have to??? How much? How much money? How much time? Where does the tithing begin and where does it end?

Through the inspired word of the Bible, we are told, “Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.” (Exodus 23:19)

We are to tithe our money based on our gross earnings, our “firstfruits,” as calculated before the government has taken its share. When I write that check to our church home each week, I feel a great sense that I am honoring my end of the bargain with God and helping to further His word. I also feel a wonderful feeling of stewardship when giving to a few select charities and non-profit organizations that are close to my heart.

Even if you are not a member of a church or religious organization, tithing of yourself and your time to causes that you deem noble is a healthy practice. I would much rather have so much blessing that I don’t have enough room to receive it all than the alternative. Wouldn’t you? After all, Romans 8:31 reminds us that “if God is for us, who can be against us?” For me, that is such a refreshing thought that it makes me excited to do my part.

In all of my thinking on tithes, I believe there is no limit to the 10% God deserves from us. He deserves 10% of my monetary income, that’s a clear. But He also deserves 10% of my time. There are 1,440 minutes in every day;10% of that is 144 minutes, or two hours and 24 minutes. Just like calculating monetary tithes from the firstfruits, or the gross income, we must also figure our tithe of time from the firstfruits; not just the hours we are awake every day, but all of the hours we are given in a day.

When I did the math, I realized that I generally spend anywhere from no time to about an hour a day staudying God’s word, either through reading the Bible itself or commentaries on the Bible, writing my own thoughts on God, and in prayer to Him. Even my peak hour a day fell short of my 10% time tithe, so I began to reschedule a little so I could spend more time devoted to Him. I don’t set and alarm clock to measure the 144 minutes exactly, but I do shoot for two-and-a-half hour time frame over the course of the day. My true goal every day is to make that time my “firstfruits,” when I am first beginning my day, before the busyness of life crowds in and takes its share, I want to first give my time to my Lord. I enjoy spending my 10% with God, and feel blessed for being an obedient child of His.

What other areas of our lives can we give 10%? I can devote at least 10% of my writing to Him, His teachings and lessons. Though only a casual gardener, I can give at least 10% of my fruit and vegetable harvests to someone who would enjoy them. Our opportunities to give to God by giving of ourselves are as impossible to count as the sands on the beach.

Today, I challenge myself and all who read this to give your 10% and then give a little more. He has given us so much, and all He asks in return is 10%.

Make it a great day,
Marilyn

Category:

Exodus, Leviticus, Malachi, Romans

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Missed Blessings

Have you ever wondered what blessings you are missing out on because of disobedience???  I am not talking about a “major” disobedience like murder or stealing or anything like that.  I am just talking about not doing something that God is tugging at your heart to do.  Or something that you know you should do but just don’t feel like it….  

This question about missed blessings would normally not be one that would even occur to me, but something that happened this weekend made me ask myself this very question. 

 I was feeling very lazy this past Sunday morning.  (Yes, this is Cary’s blog, not Marilyn’s.  She doesn’t know the meaning of the word “lazy”!)  :)   We had had a busy day the day before and it felt so nice to sit around the house with nothing to do.  I didn’t want to shower, I didn’t want to fix my hair, I didn’t want to do anything to make myself in any way presentable to the world outside of my house.  All I wanted to do was read the paper or maybe read the new book I just bought on my nook.  (Love that thing, BTW!)  However, it was Sunday morning and of course Sunday morning means one thing.  Church.  Worship.  I had a million excuses not to go – we have an interim pastor who is only going to be there a couple more weeks, plus I know for a fact a lot of my friends were out of town on summer vacation – who would notice if I wasn’t there??  (I can hear you as you are reading this saying, “um…God would notice…  Duh!”).  Plus it was Father’s Day and it was hot outside and I would have to get my kids ready for church, etc.  You get the idea – I had a lot of excuses.

 But, you know what?  I decided to get off my lazy bum and get ready and go to church.  (I do admit to not washing my hair, but please don’t hold that against me!)  So the family and I loaded up into the hot truck that had been sitting out in the 105 degree heat and fought the (what felt like) 80 mile-an-hour winds and drove the 5 miles or so to church.  We sat down in the pew, all wind-blown and sweaty.  Me, with my unwashed (but brushed!) hair, my 8 year old son with his mismatched clothes, (he took great effort in picking out his clothes – I didn’t have the heart to tell him he didn’t match), my 4 year old daughter with her plethora of plastic jewelry and my handsome hubby in his blue jeans and sneakers.  We were far from perfect – but we were there!  We made it to church! 

 So what did God do??  He blessed me!  PTL!  God is so good!  How did he bless me you ask??  I am in the process of writing a speech to give at a women’s retreat in November.  I just found out the topic last week – Christian Action.  I have been praying every day for God to help me with this speech.  I was given a good outline, but I need to make the speech my own and really think about the topic and what it means to me.  So guess what our pastor’s sermon was on this past Sunday???  Yep, you guessed it – Christian Action!!!  The Pastor talked about Holy Discontent (check out the book by Bill Hybels) and how God gives us a passion to care about the things/people that He cares about.  Not everyone’s passion is the same, but everyone has one – some people just need to search for theirs more than others.  This God-given passion leads us to do God’s work here on earth – to be His hands and feet.  To be Christians in Action.  Isn’t God good??!!??!  He blessed my obedience of coming to church with a message that was an answer to my prayer.  I still have a lot of work to do and prayer time to spend in regards to my speech, but this was a great starting point to get the ball rolling.  And it gave me even more assurance that God will bring it all together.

 What would have happened if I had decided not to go to church on Sunday?  The world would not have ended.  God would still love me.  I may not have even been missed at church by any of my church family.  But I would have missed out on the blessing of the message God had for me.  Not only the ideas the sermon gave me to incorporate into my speech, but the knowledge that God heard my prayers and responded in such a personal way.  And His response was one that I couldn’t miss!  It was like God smacked me upside the head and said “Cary, this is for you!”  Don’t you love that our Heavenly Father is so personal?!!  And don’t we all need to be smacked upside the head sometimes?!?

 I thank God for smacking me upside the head this weekend and for reminding me of his provision and love for me.  God wants to bless us.  But sometimes we have to make the first move.

Category:

Blessings

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